“Everyone were saying ‘Super Nintendo isn’t that big, because here’s Sonic'”.
Back when Sega first released Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991, it was still the underdog. Nintendo still controlled the North American video game market, as it had done for many years, and it didn’t look likely it would release its grip on gamers’ wallets anytime soon. So, in response, Sega of America, launched an aggressive marketing campaign to try to take the battle to the giant. The aim was to position its new mascot Sonic as a viable alternative to Nintendo’s star attraction, Mario, through television ads, direct comparisons, and other methods, so that players would convert over to Genesis and away from the market leader.
Al Nilsen, a former group director and former global head of marketing at Sega of America, was among those tasked with coming up with ideas to sell Sonic in the US. Nilsen got his start at Sega in 1989 and had worked at both Mattel and Hasbro before that, where he acted as a product manager. At Sega, Nilsen helped launch the 16-bit console Genesis in the US in his first few years at the company, and also served as the point of contact between Sega of Japan and the King of Pop Michael Jackson. He was responsible for making sure that Sonic became a household name and that the hedgehog’s success would in turn impact Genesis’s sales.
Read the full article on timeextension.com
“Everyone were saying ‘Super Nintendo isn’t that big, because here’s Sonic'”.
Back when Sega first released Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991, it was still the underdog. Nintendo still controlled the North American video game market, as it had done for many years, and it didn’t look likely it would release its grip on gamers’ wallets anytime soon. So, in response, Sega of America, launched an aggressive marketing campaign to try to take the battle to the giant. The aim was to position its new mascot Sonic as a viable alternative to Nintendo’s star attraction, Mario, through television ads, direct comparisons, and other methods, so that players would convert over to Genesis and away from the market leader.
Al Nilsen, a former group director and former global head of marketing at Sega of America, was among those tasked with coming up with ideas to sell Sonic in the US. Nilsen got his start at Sega in 1989 and had worked at both Mattel and Hasbro before that, where he acted as a product manager. At Sega, Nilsen helped launch the 16-bit console Genesis in the US in his first few years at the company, and also served as the point of contact between Sega of Japan and the King of Pop Michael Jackson. He was responsible for making sure that Sonic became a household name and that the hedgehog’s success would in turn impact Genesis’s sales.
Read the full article on timeextension.com
